Carsten Höller: Decision

Posted on
Tuesday, 1 September 2015

Ok, so I'm probably more excited about this blog post than I should be but that was because the place that I'll talk more about in the blog post was really THAT cool! I love art. There, I said it. I love it so much that I decided to go to a really cool interactive art exhibition as part of my 18th birthday celebrations. Yep, the big 1 8. Honestly I still look about 15 soo... I can pay less for the bus yay! I'm really joking. But I'm not joking when I say that a woman, who was working at the exhibition, had to ask one of my friends and I whether we were over the age of 15 because for one of the activities you have to be 15 and over. That was honestly such a funny moment! So I really wanted to share my experience on visiting this exhibition with you guys.

This is the Carsten Höller: Decision Exhibition at the Hayward Gallery

Upon near arrival, you see this massive building in the middle of London with two gigantic slides coming out of it. That's when you know that you're there.

There are lockers available for you to put your stuff in although I recommend that you at least take your phone with you when you go into the actual exhibition to take photos of the many amazing and weird things. You'll be somewhat surprised to know that you don't have to put £1 into the locker for it to work. Simply look for a locker with a key, put your stuff in, take the key and you're on your way.

At times, the tunnels seem to have a weird effect on your phone's camera which, to me, makes it look all the more interesting and fascinating but to others it may just look like a really out of focus photo. Which I promise it isn't.

The basis of Höller's exhibition is 'Decisions' and you are confronted with one straight away upon arrival. Two doors greet you and you have to choose which one you will go into. These doors then lead to dark and small tunnels that go from hardly any light to no light at all! This was honestly my favourite part of the experience as my friends and I had to feel for the walls and find a way out.

Coming out of the tunnel, you are greeted with giant dissected mushrooms that you can move when you push a handle.

There is also a room that features a lot of pills that are swept together to form a circle and you are asked to consume the contents of the pill (which you don't have to). I actually just took mine home but judging from one of my friends who tried it, it didn't really taste of anything but it had a placebo effect on you.

These are robotic beds that roam the many rooms of the gallery after hours and you can even rent a bed for the night.

It wouldn't be fair to talk about Höller's work without actually talking about him. Carsten Höller is a Belgian artist who lives and works in Sweden. He is known for his contemporary art and in his work he usually creates situations that allows exhibition visitors to experiment on themselves making you question familiar perceptions. A lot of his work features 3D films, flashing lights, games,narcotics, slides and eye and sensory equipment.

Along one side of the corridor, there are TV's with each one featuring a video of a woman talking. Each woman speaks a different language and this was interesting because on the other side of the corridor was the twin of the woman. So basically, each woman was talking directly to her twin sister.

Is it weird that there is a giant die in the middle of the room? Is it also weird that you can enter it? Nope, nothing is too weird for Höller.

This part of the exhibition is on the roof of the building. You get given, what I can only describe as, big, weird, goggle looking things that make you see everything upside down which is scary at first but you soon get used to it and then you even beg to to keep them on for a little longer.

After the long wait I can say that it was definitely worth going on this. It may seem daunting at first but once you're up there, you really do feel on top of the world!

To get out of the exhibition you have to go through this amazing slide and it was just a very fun way to end the day.

At the end of the day I can honestly say that I had an absolutely amazing time and did not want to leave!

I didn't want to go into too much detail about the exhibition because I really recommend that you go there and see for yourselves. You honestly won't regret it! The exhibition finishes really soon so why not go there as a last minute summer escape? (for those of you who are still on holiday) or go at a weekend as a way of relaxation and fun after the busy week at work or school.

Social Media

About Me

Hello there and thanks for stopping by! I'm a fashion, art and lifestyle blogger who started writing blog posts at a time when I felt very bored and wanted to try something new. This blog has grown into something bigger than I thought it would ever be and I look forward to sharing more!
-JVA